Chapter 88
Chapter 88
Yunzhong Mountain Range, middle section.
"Master, our neighbor's Sound Passing Talisman is flying around, it's so lively!"
"If you're really that bored, why not dig up the ground outside the door?"
Shao Xiong looked at Shao Jie and shook his head. This kid still has a lot to learn. We're still in the mountains, and he's already so restless. If he goes to Yunzhong City, who knows what trouble he'll cause?
"Master, I'm just curious. I've never interacted with so many people before. Master, what do you think they will do to us? Will they join forces to attack us, all the Building foundation independent cultivators in Yunzhong Mountain Range?"
"They won't."
"Why not? In the wilderness, as long as the beast has a leader, like the Wolf King, it's enough."
"Take a guess, why is there no golden core independent cultivator in Yunzhong Mountain Range, or if there are, they have to hide?"
"I don't know. Why, Master?"
"Because it's not allowed to have such amazing people here."Shao Xiong said. There are so many independent cultivators near Yunzhong City, how can there not be a few heroic figures? But even if they are heroes, once they try to gain control over the middle section of Yunzhong Mountain Range and unify this place, they will be in deep trouble. Some people won't allow them to do so.
"The two major sects are so dominant. Master, when will we be that dominant?"
Shao Jie said, Shao Xiong had told him a lot about the rules of Yunzhong City, so he immediately guessed that it was something controlled by the two major sects.
"Stop thinking like that, Master. I'm not that powerful yet. The two major sects have more talents than you can imagine. The most powerful cultivators are always within the sects."
Shao Xiong shook his head. He had good talent and comprehension, but he knew very well that in the eyes of the sects, he was not considered anything special. No matter how talented you are, there will always be someone more talented. And most of the geniuses that can be seen in the city have already been recruited by the sects.
"Master, why are you being so modest? Didn't you say that we are the wolves, true wild wolves? Ordinary independent cultivators are at most domestic dogs, and sect disciples are just sheep. In a one-on-one fight, I can kill three domestic dogs and ten sheep. I've done it before."
"Did you really believe the lies I told you when we were kids?"
Shao Xiong was shocked. Why would Shao Jie still believe that at this moment? Wasn't it just something he used to playfully tease him when they were kids?
"But that's the truth."
Shao Jie said, "In the north of the Yunzhong Mountain Range, I have encountered many disciples from martial arts sects and ordinary cultivators. Their cultivation seems decent, but they are actually weak. It seems like they don't know how to kill. With the same level of cultivation, I can easily kill them."
"Shao Jie, I warn you not to cause trouble. It is true that ordinary disciples from martial arts sects and ordinary cultivators are weak, but there are also experts among them. I can't afford to provoke them. I am only in the later stage of building foundations, you know?"
Shao Xiong said sternly, "When I said this, I had reasons to believe it. People like us grew up in a world of killing, constantly being attacked by more enemies. Winning against stronger opponents is common. Cultivators who survive in such an environment are like fierce wolves."
As for ordinary cultivators, they may be farmers or businessmen who occasionally get into fights and kill people. But compared to them, killing demonic beasts and people is as simple as drinking water. That's why they can be called domestic dogs.
As for ordinary disciples from martial arts sects, they are even weaker. The protection from the sect has made them become soft and weak like sheep. Even some disciples who have reached the Building Foundation Period have never killed anyone. These cultivators only have cultivation skills but have no idea how to use them.
But these are all ordinary situations. Even ordinary cultivators can have formidable individuals, not to mention martial arts sects. They don't play fair with you at all. You may be in the Building Foundation Period, but they may be in the Golden Core Period or even have Nascent Soul or Soul Changing cultivation levels, although I've never seen someone with Soul Changing cultivation.
Now Shao Xiong is very worried that Shao Jie, who doesn't know his place, will offend the major sect. He really doesn't know how dangerous that is.
"Master, I'm not a fool. I know I can't afford to offend the two major sects. Don't worry, I won't do anything stupid."
"Knowing is good, our main goal in returning to Yunzhong City is to gather money. Once we have enough money, we will obtain the Five Elements Golden Fruit Pill. And when I break through to the golden core stage, we will establish our own sect."
Shao Xiong said. As an independent cultivator for many years, he knew very well the hardships that independent cultivators faced. Once one becomes truly powerful, establishing a sect is necessary. Being a sect's patriarch is so enjoyable. Disciples would be responsible for accumulating wealth, while he could focus on cultivation alone. No need to roam around aimlessly.
"Hehe, Master, we have been in Yunzhong Mountain Range for a long time, but we haven't visited Yunzhong City yet. Can you take me there for a stroll?"
"Alright, I will get you some True Spirit Pills. We still have many battles ahead, and your cultivation level is a bit weak."
Shao Xiong nodded. Now, he saw all the independent cultivators in Yunzhong Mountain Range as prey for building his foundation stage. He would inevitably face attacks from them and would need his disciple's help when that time came.
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"There is a saying among the independent cultivators in the Northern sects that our Southern sect cultivators are like dogs, while their sect disciples are like sheep. Only they themselves are like wolves. Wolves eat both sheep and dogs..."
"How ridiculous! How dare that old fool show such disrespect towards us!"
"Are wolves really powerful beasts? Why don't they call themselves dragons instead?"
"Because there is a Wolf King in the north, at the later stage of the fourth rank, equivalent to the later stage of Nascent Soul, there are even more powerful monsters deeper in, which we cultivators have not had much contact with. That Wolf King is already very fierce. The Zhonghang Sect once sent three Nascent Soul Ancestors to hunt it, but they were unable to kill it."
In the Yunzhong Mountain Range, as soon as Shao Xiong and his disciples entered, more than ten independent cultivators at the early stage of Building Foundation immediately gathered together. They are all at the weakest level during the Building Foundation period, and they are all extremely afraid. They are afraid that Shao Xiong will come looking for them, so they gathered together to discuss.
"Brother Fan, out of these ten people, only you have been to the north. Can you tell us about what happened there?"
Lin Jiang said to the organizer, a person named Fan Tong who is at the early stage of Building Foundation cultivation. He had once spent three years roaming the northern part of the Yunzhong Mountain Range, making him the only independent cultivator among them who had been there.
The situation in the north is not very good. The demon clan and us cultivators have been in a constant struggle. I went there over ten years ago, and at that time, there were less than twenty strongholds established by cultivators left. The only strongholds that remained strong were the two major sects' strongholds, which had turned into small cities with around ten thousand people.
In that area, the most common thing for cultivators is to fight, fight against monsters, fight against harsh environments, fight against other cultivators. Except for the strongholds, there are no rules anywhere else. Even the disciples of the two major sects often end up injured or killed.
It can be said that any cultivator who can survive for ten years without dying in the north, even in the Qi Refining Period, should not be underestimated. They are truly tough individuals, ruthless towards enemies and even towards themselves...
"Are their individual combat abilities strong? How strong are they?"
"It's hard to say. But one thing is that under equal cultivation levels, their spiritual power is much more condensed than ours. They frequently engage in battles, quickly releasing their spiritual power, and have strong attack power. Moreover, their meridians are tough. What we call our special moves and trump cards are just regular moves for them. So in our perspective, their attack power is much stronger."
"Another thing is their ferocity. Some of them may seem gentle and refined in normal times, but once they see blood, they immediately become extremely fierce. After being injured, they go mad and their fighting power soars. When fighting against them, remember not to let them get close. It's best to keep them at a distance."
Fan Tong recalled the past when he had just started building his foundation. He was full of ambition and thought that others were not much different. He went to explore the wilderness, but he was slapped in the face by reality. He couldn't survive there at all. For the next three years, he spent most of his time in the stronghold, unlike the others who dared to venture deep into the wilderness.
"Does this Shao Xiong and his disciple have any impressive achievements?"
"Yes, during Shao Xiong's mid-stage of building foundation, he killed opponents who were in the late stage. Moreover, his opponents were also fierce individuals who had been fighting in the wilderness for many years. His disciple is even more abnormal. He grew up in the wilderness since he was young, eating the flesh of beasts like a wild animal."
"These pieces of information are too vague. Can't you provide more details?"
"No, who would dare to reveal their details in the wilderness? Do they want to die slowly?"
Fan Tong shook his head, the Wilderness is a lawless place, if people found out the details, they would definitely be hunted down.
"Now it's about how to deal with them. The number of independent cultivators in the Building Foundation stage in the Yunzhong Mountain Range usually ranges from fifty to one hundred. We don't need many, just twenty people can easily kill the two of them."
Lin Jiang sighed and said, after hearing Fan Tong say so much, he didn't actually think Shao Xiong and the others were powerful. The real exceptional geniuses are the ones who can kill across different realms, like killing someone in the later stage of Building Foundation while being in the early stage of Golden Core. But obviously, Shao Xiong doesn't have that ability yet.
He heard more about Shao Xiong's toughness and survival in harsh conditions, but these things are not necessarily impressive; they don't prove that he is invincible.
When the crowd heard what Lin Jiang said, they fell silent, nobody spoke. Maybe twenty people could kill Shao Xiong and his disciples, but there would definitely be casualties. Who would die? Nobody wanted to die themselves.
This is the characteristic of independent cultivators. Freedom is their advantage, but fighting alone is their disadvantage. Nobody wants to expose their back to others.
"We should find a way to contact the senior cultivators in the later stages of Building Foundation. We, these people, to put it harshly, are all poor. How much spirit stones can we get if we were killed? The later stages of Building Foundation are where the wealthy ones are."
(Translated by Gravity Tales 😅)
Fan Tong said. In the early stages of Building Foundation, we don't have much money. Most of the money we make is invested in cultivation. Those senior cultivators in the later stages, firstly, they live longer and have more means of making money. Secondly, they are also preparing for Core Formation and have saved up a lot of spirit stones.
Lin Jiang smiled and remained silent at Fan Tong's words. He was not poor. The total wealth of these people combined couldn't match his. Just the spiritual talisman alone was worth several times their net worth.
Lin Jiang also realized that it was impossible to rely on these people to unite. Everyone was accustomed to being scattered, like a loose sand. To bring them together, there needed to be someone with very high prestige. But currently, nobody had that kind of prestige.
Lin Jiang had a spiritual talisman as a trump card and wasn't afraid of Shao Xiong and his disciples. He just didn't want to reveal his strength and waste his trump card. So he just waited and watched. If Shao Xiong and his disciples really provoke him without using their brains, then there would be no choice but to take them out.